true matriarchy is not dominance of women over men... and I think if we are centering concepts of dominance we are not talking about matriarchy but gynarchy - which is women in dominant positions as in reversal of patriarchy.
A true matriarchy, that centres children, is about partnership, interdependence etc. When matriarchy is being described as female rule instead of male rule, it is a patriarchal, colonial interpretation.
I am absolutely for the idea of partnerships - because that is what a true matriarchy is, and is the one I write about - so I am glad you sent me this because it has allowed me to clarify better.
I paused here to find out more about Riane Eisler, because I wanted to understand more about how a person could confuse matriarchy and gynarchy for so long (as I first checked out the website you sent) - it of course did not surprise me that she was white. What surprised me were her views on Israel and Gaza when coming from a partnership point of view for her entire working life... that she does not see Israel as a settler-colonial project - and uses a several Zionist propaganda terms/ideas... can such a person truly understand partnership? When she so clearly sees herself and other Jews as victims while ignoring the fact Zionism and Israel are currently the dominators and not the out group - they have made Palestinians and Muslims the out-group (to use her words)
How can a true partnership be created when there is an inability to acknowledge Israel's current dominator position? The first step in any partnership must be this acknowledgement - who currently holds the power? Who is using violence, limiting freedom, movement, access to food, water and land? The answer to that is the one that is dominating... if, as the above linked interview illustrates, one thinks that the countries surrounding "tiny Israel" are the dominators that only seek to destroy Israel despite decades of proving otherwise (most of the countries - the others have used violence to try and break free from domination) - how does one create a partnership when the dominator is asking the dominated to be even less than what they are now because the dominator thinks they are the one being dominated? That is a delusion and makes true partnership impossible.
I do, though, think that for many people the word "partnership" can be more palatable than matriarchy - because, until people understand the difference between gynarchy and matriarchy - people will think it is switching male domination for female domination.
So partnership can be a good bridge.
Patriarchy to matriarchy is the transition from male dominance, to raising children well TOGETHER - with the earth for seven generations to come.
It's also why I coined demomazi - people together - because we need an alternative to democracy to consider what it is we are doing as humans - how can we be together with others - human and more than human.
Ghandi is another person I struggle with - he said much good about peace, and peaceful resistance - but then he was also a vile, violent misogynist and racist...
Just as many feel betrayed by Noam Chomsky being so connected to Epstein.
I just want to clarify - my above reply is in no way saying anti-semitism is not real, not active and that Jewish people do not struggle due to it.
But conflating Judaism with zionism is problematic - for the ability to create partnerships when people want to talk about the injustices of the political zionist framework so that they can be addressed in the name of peace and justice - as well as the risk that the frustration towards the political choices of Israel are suddenly the burden of all Jewish people around the world regardless of whether they agree with Israeli policies or not. I think that is an unfair burden and risk to carry - especially as a recent survey in USA showed only 37% of Jewish people identified as a Zionist.
All hate, especially hate that leads to violence, is something I actively work towards preventing. I do think governments and media are fuelling fear on an almost obsessive level (with zero accountability) and the line between fear/hate/anger is thin indeed.
I am anti-antisemitism, anti-islamophbia, anti-misogyny etc etc
My writing - to focus on love, play, joy, belonging and social justice in education - is part of my active steps to make the world safer for EVERYONE in the sense of calling out harmful behaviour and advocating for togetherness.
Thanks Suzanne, I’ll look at the links and look into gynarchy. I have found that when we talk about this - most/many people interpret matriarchal language as meaning women dominant over men and I think it’s good to describe the partnership systems we dream of.
I’ll look into what you’re saying about Eisler 🥲 I have always read her as a peace activist and futurist.
for me, at least, part of helping most/many people to understand that matriarchy is not reverse patriarchy is a part of the whole dismantling patriarchal, capitalist, colonial systems. In part because the patriarchy has controlled the dialogue of what matriarchy is.
so I advocate for matriarchal ecosystems rather than patriarchal egosystems -
When on this site (if you explore it) - it also shows how my own interest in decolonising, Indigenising and being located in Sweden - that has a a strong women's movement towards matriarchy for about 100 years... means I have been exposed to this thinking the way I have for quite some time.
I also attended a decolonising feminist study group - the reading for that, and the dialogues we had profoundly changed the ground I walk on - and have allowed me to understand things that previously were hidden from me. (it's why I like quantum physics so much as an idea to understand pedagogy, care and play - because the more we learn, the more tools (often intellectual) we have the more we begin to see and comprehend - in an over simplified way physics is the patriarchy (with it's methods (certainty), binaries and hierarchies) while quantum physics is the matriarchy with it's complexity and the observer affect, lack of binaries and the embracing of uncertainty
I want to thank you for your interaction, as it really does help me with how I formulate my own thoughts and make connections... so this writing of mine is for me, as much as it is a response to you...and probably explains why they are so long.
Thanks Suzanne. I am looking forward to exploring the links. I treasure our conversations. I deeply appreciate the humble inquiry and the path our dialouges take, seeking truth and engaging in ways that expands and grows understanding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUF5XWOxVdY
thanks for your advocacy!!!!
I also want to offer an alternative to patriarchy and matriarchy as Riane Eisler describes it ~ the Partnership Model. https://centerforpartnership.org/partnerism-partnership-systems/
true matriarchy is not dominance of women over men... and I think if we are centering concepts of dominance we are not talking about matriarchy but gynarchy - which is women in dominant positions as in reversal of patriarchy.
A true matriarchy, that centres children, is about partnership, interdependence etc. When matriarchy is being described as female rule instead of male rule, it is a patriarchal, colonial interpretation.
I found this link, that might be helpful.
https://lovettejallow.substack.com/p/matriarchy-vs-gynarchy-power-structures
I am absolutely for the idea of partnerships - because that is what a true matriarchy is, and is the one I write about - so I am glad you sent me this because it has allowed me to clarify better.
I paused here to find out more about Riane Eisler, because I wanted to understand more about how a person could confuse matriarchy and gynarchy for so long (as I first checked out the website you sent) - it of course did not surprise me that she was white. What surprised me were her views on Israel and Gaza when coming from a partnership point of view for her entire working life... that she does not see Israel as a settler-colonial project - and uses a several Zionist propaganda terms/ideas... can such a person truly understand partnership? When she so clearly sees herself and other Jews as victims while ignoring the fact Zionism and Israel are currently the dominators and not the out group - they have made Palestinians and Muslims the out-group (to use her words)
https://in-sightpublishing.com/2025/11/08/riane-eisler-on-antisemitism-zionism-and-israels-path-to-partnership/
How can a true partnership be created when there is an inability to acknowledge Israel's current dominator position? The first step in any partnership must be this acknowledgement - who currently holds the power? Who is using violence, limiting freedom, movement, access to food, water and land? The answer to that is the one that is dominating... if, as the above linked interview illustrates, one thinks that the countries surrounding "tiny Israel" are the dominators that only seek to destroy Israel despite decades of proving otherwise (most of the countries - the others have used violence to try and break free from domination) - how does one create a partnership when the dominator is asking the dominated to be even less than what they are now because the dominator thinks they are the one being dominated? That is a delusion and makes true partnership impossible.
I do, though, think that for many people the word "partnership" can be more palatable than matriarchy - because, until people understand the difference between gynarchy and matriarchy - people will think it is switching male domination for female domination.
So partnership can be a good bridge.
Patriarchy to matriarchy is the transition from male dominance, to raising children well TOGETHER - with the earth for seven generations to come.
It's also why I coined demomazi - people together - because we need an alternative to democracy to consider what it is we are doing as humans - how can we be together with others - human and more than human.
Ghandi is another person I struggle with - he said much good about peace, and peaceful resistance - but then he was also a vile, violent misogynist and racist...
Just as many feel betrayed by Noam Chomsky being so connected to Epstein.
This, too, is the complexity of humanity.
I just want to clarify - my above reply is in no way saying anti-semitism is not real, not active and that Jewish people do not struggle due to it.
But conflating Judaism with zionism is problematic - for the ability to create partnerships when people want to talk about the injustices of the political zionist framework so that they can be addressed in the name of peace and justice - as well as the risk that the frustration towards the political choices of Israel are suddenly the burden of all Jewish people around the world regardless of whether they agree with Israeli policies or not. I think that is an unfair burden and risk to carry - especially as a recent survey in USA showed only 37% of Jewish people identified as a Zionist.
All hate, especially hate that leads to violence, is something I actively work towards preventing. I do think governments and media are fuelling fear on an almost obsessive level (with zero accountability) and the line between fear/hate/anger is thin indeed.
I am anti-antisemitism, anti-islamophbia, anti-misogyny etc etc
My writing - to focus on love, play, joy, belonging and social justice in education - is part of my active steps to make the world safer for EVERYONE in the sense of calling out harmful behaviour and advocating for togetherness.
Thanks Suzanne, I’ll look at the links and look into gynarchy. I have found that when we talk about this - most/many people interpret matriarchal language as meaning women dominant over men and I think it’s good to describe the partnership systems we dream of.
I’ll look into what you’re saying about Eisler 🥲 I have always read her as a peace activist and futurist.
for me, at least, part of helping most/many people to understand that matriarchy is not reverse patriarchy is a part of the whole dismantling patriarchal, capitalist, colonial systems. In part because the patriarchy has controlled the dialogue of what matriarchy is.
so I advocate for matriarchal ecosystems rather than patriarchal egosystems -
which of course my post https://suzanneaxelsson.substack.com/p/the-ecosystem-of-human-fundamental describes a matriarchal way of looking at human needs instead of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
In many ways true matriarchy is deeply connected to your work on care - as it is care that is the central value
https://mmstudies.com/matriarchy/
When on this site (if you explore it) - it also shows how my own interest in decolonising, Indigenising and being located in Sweden - that has a a strong women's movement towards matriarchy for about 100 years... means I have been exposed to this thinking the way I have for quite some time.
I also attended a decolonising feminist study group - the reading for that, and the dialogues we had profoundly changed the ground I walk on - and have allowed me to understand things that previously were hidden from me. (it's why I like quantum physics so much as an idea to understand pedagogy, care and play - because the more we learn, the more tools (often intellectual) we have the more we begin to see and comprehend - in an over simplified way physics is the patriarchy (with it's methods (certainty), binaries and hierarchies) while quantum physics is the matriarchy with it's complexity and the observer affect, lack of binaries and the embracing of uncertainty
https://suzanneaxelsson.substack.com/p/play-and-quantum-physics (I think this might help more than my sentence to explain how quantum physics can help us comprehend the complexity of play and care.)
I want to thank you for your interaction, as it really does help me with how I formulate my own thoughts and make connections... so this writing of mine is for me, as much as it is a response to you...and probably explains why they are so long.
Thanks Suzanne. I am looking forward to exploring the links. I treasure our conversations. I deeply appreciate the humble inquiry and the path our dialouges take, seeking truth and engaging in ways that expands and grows understanding.
me too.